When Old Friends Meet
by filiusPlutonHecateMinervamque
Summary: Nico DiAngelo has been living in the underworld with his mother, father, and sister for four years ever since he left Camp Half Blood. When he has to leave the nest, who will he meet and what will happen?
1. Chapter 1: When Old Friends Meet

Mom and dad were arguing again, so I had to get away one way or another. Bianca came up to me and I knew something was wrong. I hadn't seen her this sad since...well, ever. She had seen me at my saddest, but I had never seen her this down before. The only time she was even close to being like this was when we had a dog that Mom said we had to give away. We both knew what that meant, but Bi was too upset to admit the truth. Anyway, I couldn't stop looking at those eyes. So much loss, so much sadness. I had seen it before on the faces of the likes of Orpheus and Eurydice, but never her. Something was wrong, and I had to know what.

"Bi, what is it?" I asked

"I'd rather not say until Mom and Dad are done talking in there." she said her tone indicating just as much sadness as her eyes.

All of a sudden, Mom walked through the door. Hade- I mean, your father is waiting to speak to you. I knew something was wrong, and the tear stains on her face weren't helping. I anxiously walked into my father's throne room. Next to him was his current wife, Persephone. I liked her, but she tried to hard to be my friend. Back to my dad, he had a grim expression, but that wasn't unusual. He wasn't the cheeriest person you'd ever meet.

"Nico, we need to talk."

Whenever Dad wanted to talk, it wasn't good. Instantly I knew something was wrong.

"Your mother doesn't necessarily agree with this decision, but I feel it's for the best and I currently hold a higher position here."

"But Da-" before I could finish, he cut me off.

"Let me finish." He said, and when he said it, he was even more serious than before.

"Yes, sir."

"As I was saying, your mother and I have been talking. Your mother had some opposing feelings towards this, but I believe she'll realize that it'll be beneficial in the long run. You have been around your mother and sister for far too long..."

Before I knew it, tears were streaming down my face.

"Thanatos isn't random, Maria and Bianca were taken for a reason. You weren't supposed to see them until Thanatos deemed it right. I know you've become attached, and it was wrong of me to let you get that close to them. For your own good, I have to send you back to the surface. You may come back anytime, but not to stay, and only when you require something of me...and you know, if you need something from me, it better be important."

Things quickly progressed and I kneeled down, bawling my eyes out. To hear Dad say this was worse than when Bi and I faced that metal giant four years ago. It was worse than when I had to leave...it was just the worst. Persephone just sat behind my father, giving me a sympathetic expression, but (like usual) it was insincere.

All I heard from my father was, "I'm sorry." before I could react, my vision blacked out. I knew what it was like to shadow travel, but I had never shadow travelled without wanting to. Dad had sent me somewhere...but where?

In front of me was a lake, I turned around, and there was a regal and important looking marble building. There were a few other buildings, but the this one stood out to me for some reason. I walked over, and as I did, I saw lots of teenagers and children and adults alike. All of them seemed laid back and happy. There was an adult under a tree, and he was surrounded by a large group of little kids. I walked a little further and saw 5 or 6 teenagers sitting, talking, and eating. Dang it, I just remembered that I left without lunch. I hope that this place has some good I can eat.

When I finally reached the entrance, there were two dogs...that weren't dogs. One was gold and one was silver, and as soon as I took a step closer they growled and circled me. I'm not afraid of dogs, but there was something very intimidating about dogs made of metal.

"Argentum! Aurum! _Venite_!" I looked up and saw what seemed to be a warrior. She had on a gold breastplate, and covering the rest of her was a rich purple toga. On the center of the breastplate were two pins that I didn't quite recognize. This lady just radiated authority and presence. Behind this girl were a few people. None of them gave off that same kind of authoritative look, but there was one guys who sure was trying hard to make it seem like he was. It must've been a pretty big challenge considering his belt of torn-up teddy bears.

Before I could really look at the rest of them, the girl screamed at me, "_Quid tu, inquit, quis es?"_

"Wait, what?" I asked, "I don't understand."

"That was Latin. You obviously don't belong here. So, who are you and WHY ARE you here?"

"I'm Nico DiAngelo, and I don't know why, but my dad sent me here."

"Wait, say your name again..." All of a sudden someone who I haven't seen for a long time walked out of the crowd in a toga and a purple t-shirt.

"Percy, you can't honestly say you don't remember me." When I said his name, my sea green eyes seemed to flash as if a light went off in his head.

"How?..." he asked, bewildered.

"Don't talk to him!" the girl said.

"Reyna!..." So that was her name! "He knows me, and I don't know why, but I think I know him. Who's your father?"

"Hades..." I said, somewhat shyly.

"Haha, that's funny. The Greek demigods were wiped out millennia ago." Reyna said.

"What makes you say that?"

"Um, there are no more Greek demigods. Please, call your dad by his true name, Pluto. Either you're a Roman demigod or you're a mortal."

"Oh...of course..." I said, not knowing what she was talking about at all. "Sorry, sometimes I misspeak. Yes, my father...Pluto, sent me here."

I had heard that the Roman demigods had been killed off, but now these people were saying the Greek ones had been killed. The people heard and believed the opposite, and if they knew about demigods, then they must be demigods too...

"Percy! Since you seem to know this one, you can show him around." Reyna commanded.

"Yes, Reyna." He replied.

He showed me all over the campsite, it was apparently called Camp Jupiter. They had a forum, and a coliseum, and bathhouses, and a ton more. As we got back to the Senate House (the important looking marble building), Percy stopped talking about the camp and turned to look at me. "Now that we're done, how do you know me?"

"Wait, Percy, you honestly don't remember me?" I asked.

"I can't remember a lot of things. Ever since I got here, I couldn't figure anything out. Hazel and Frank are trying to help me rediscover my past. I woke up with amnesia a few weeks ago and...you get the point. Now tell me, how do we know each other?"

I paused, and I thought for a while. Percy didn't remember me, and knowing Percy, he'd probably believe whatever I said. I remembered all the days when I sat in my room in my father's palace and cried remembering why I left. The old Percy would've never accepted me, after all, he had Annabeth...but now, Annabeth wasn't here. Percy probably didn't even remember her...

"Percy..." I said sadly, letting tears fill my eyes, "Don't you remember? We loved each other." It felt good to say that, as if, by saying it, it'd be true.

"WHAT?!" Percy asked, practically yelling. From the look on his face, I could tell he was confused. His sea green eyes seemed distant as if he were deep in thought. I'd never seen him like that.

"You don't remember..." My memories came flooding back, and even more tears came flooding down my face. Before I knew what was happening, I felt his arms around me. I don't remember the last time he even tapped me on the shoulder.

"I'm so sorry. I wish I could remember you." Percy explained. "Maybe, if I'm around you enough, I'll remember..."

"I'd love that." That was the most sincere thing I had said to him yet other than that he had known me. All I wanted to do was be with him.

"Okay, then that's what we'll do. I need to remember you. Especially if what you said is true."

Then I thought to myself what would happen if he found out it wasn't...I couldn't let him get too close to his past.

•••

We ended up spending week after week with each other. The more he was around me, the more he seemed to open up and care for me. This didn't seen to be the same Percy, but he was the Percy I wanted. It was my wildest dream come true.

"Hey, Nico?" Percy asked bringing me back to the real world and out of my thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"I've been thinking about what you said when we first met-...I mean...reunited? You said we loved each other. I'm not sure if you still love me, but I feel as though I love you."

I couldn't believe it. It was my wildest dream come true...except it wasn't a dream anymore.

"Percy, I'll never stop loving you. I never stopped, and I never will." As I said it, I knew that it felt right. Percy put his hand on mine and just looked at me as if I were some kind of mystery to him. "What is it?"

"I can't quite figure you out." he said.

"What do you mean?" I said, hiding the butterflies that were flittering around I'm my chest.

"You just seem so complex. You have so many levels and I feel as though there is so much I don't know."

I almost said 'There is', but I knew better. "Perce, you know all you need to know."

There was a pause, and then...

Percy said, "I love you."

I couldn't hold back my tears of joy. I could live the rest of my life just hearing that one sentence on an endless loop. Percy gasped for air as he felt the pressure of my arms around his torso. Soon enough, Percy was returning the hug and was crying too. After 10 minutes, both of our shoulders were soaked. My dream was coming true, and I felt like I could go to Tartarus and back. I looked into Percy's eyes and inquired, "How come you're crying?"

"This...this just feels so right. I've felt like there's someone that I've been looking for, and I finally found them- I mean...you."

When I heard him say that, I felt my heart sink. I know my heart should've soared, but I knew that he hadn't actually been searching for me. Instead, he's been searching for...her. I closed my eyes, and as my vision went into blackness, I felt as though the rest of me did. As the blackness went away, and I opened my eyes, I saw that I was in my room again.

"How?..." I jumped. Percy was still right next to me. When I accidentally shadow travelled, he had been holding on to me, and we both teleported.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." My voice faded out as my vision followed. I slumped into Percy's arms and slipped into unconsciousness.


	2. Chapter 2: All That Matters

**Author's Note**: **Hey guys. I hope none of you guys find this too cheesy. Don't think you shouldn't read this though. I'm overly self-critical. I'm really loving how this is turning out, but I don't know how all of you will see it. I can't wait to see your guys's thoughts and reviews. **

**-The Author**

I opened my eyes and saw another pair of eyes stating back at me. Everyone said the sound of the ocean was calming, but they've never seen eyes the color of the ocean.

"Hey..." I heard him say calmly and quietly. "It's good to see you up sleepyhead." I let my eyes sink and felt something warn on my cheek and opened my eyes to see Percy's face oddly close to mine. The smell of salt water came to me, and I leaned in, closing my eyes again. Percy leaned in as well, and the warmth went from my cheek to my lips. After a minute or so, I laid down again.

Then I thought, '_Wait, what am I lying on_?'. I looked around and I was in a clean, white room, and when I say white, I mean WHITE. The room practically shined. Unlike the room, Perce was in a purple camp t-shirt and blue jeans, the contrast of his clothes to the white of the room gave him even more of a presence. Percy reached out, and slipped his hand up my arm, and into the sleeve of my medical gown to my shoulder. He gripped my shoulder, and then did the same with my other. His fingers moved across my shoulders putting differentiating pressure in different spots. Damn, he was good. Soon, I felt his hands leave and have a moan of regret and relief. Percy then grabbed me and pulled me forward. He help me up by my back and asked, "May I?" I nodded, giving him full access. The back of my gown came undone and I could feel warm, calloused hands on my back. I could feel the hands going from my shoulders to my hips. Every time, his hands seemed to inch a little but lower, and I'd shiver. He'd never go past my hips, but would tease at it. I loved that he wasn't crossing the line, but was keeping me on the edge instead. All of a sudden, his hands stopped, and lightly drifted from the base of my spine to my shoulders. His touch was so light that goosebumps went up my spine after each inch he grazed.

"Thank you Percy, _te amo tantam_."

Even though I wasn't the best at Latin, he loved hearing it, and it was so similar to Italian that it wasn't hard. A little confusing sometimes, but not hard.

"Damn it, why do you have to be so good at that?!" he quietly yelled, exasperated.

"Learn Italian, and it'll be easy for you too." I said, laughing before and after, "So, how long have I been asleep?" I saw that it was mid day, but there was no clock to tell me exactly when it was.

"A little less than a day. I was worried about you." Percy responded.

"Aww, thank you. You're just so sweet."

"Well, it wasn't just that you passed out, but that you passed out right after we said we loved each other." His tone and face suddenly became serious, "Is there anything you want to tell me or talk about?"

"Look Perce, I have many layers and I'm really deep. Just like you said. All you need to know is that I love you. If you love me back like you say you do, then you should trust me. Honestly, the way I feel about you is indescribable..."

As I was talking, Percy started to tear up.

"...there's not a moment I'm not thinking about you, and I can't imagine ever having this end. I wish I could just stay here with you right now in this moment..."

By that point, Percy was for sure crying.

"...Percy, honestly, there's nothing else I can say...I love you. Really,_ I LOVE_ you. A lot of people say that word, but I mean it."

Then, we were both crying and were both holding each other. I loved the way his arms felt around me. I whispered into his ear, "Promise to stay with me?..."

"_Promise_. I'd never leave you."

At that moment, I knew that he did. Even if he loved Annabeth before, he loved me _now_. Hopefully, it'd stay that way. To me, that's _all_ that mattered.


	3. Chapter 3: 5-month-iversary

Percy and I have been together for 5 months starting tomorrow. I can't believe I can say it. The only problem is Octavian. Our 5-month-iversary is on the summer solstice and he plans on talking to his father , Apollo. He's going to ask his dad, the god or prophecies, about us. Yes, us means me and Percy. Octavian has never liked me and has never liked Percy. When the two of us got together, we knew he'd be a problem. Only time will tell what he Apollo has to say about it.

•••

It was midnight and Percy and I got an idea. We'd been sleeping in the same cabin (_just sleeping_) for a while now.

"HAPPY 5-MONTH-IVERSARY!" We by oh shouted. My lips met Percy's and we kissed for a long time. Probably 5 minutes straight excluding the odd breath here and there. After that, Percy and I just laid down, thinking.

"Oh gods!" Percy shouted.

"What is it?"

"I got the best idea ever."

"Since when do you think?" I teased, laughing at how lame my own joke was.

"Shut up, I just thought that we should mess around with Octavian."

"Oh, now I'm interested. How?"

"Today, he's going to talk to his dad at dawn. It's going to be a good time for him because it's sunrise on the day where the sun is out the longest."

"Okay, so how do we mess with him?"

"I have one of those voice changers, and we can modify our voices and make him think he's hearing his father."

"That's so cruel!...I love it." We knew it wasn't the nicest thing, but Octavian would get over it.

So, at 10 minutes till dawn, Percy and I snuck around to the Octavian's room. His room was one of the few with a window out looking the lake to the east. He wouldn't just be able to commune with Apollo, but he'd be able to see his dad rise over the coast. Percy and I couldn't help but look in; however, we couldn't look directly through the window because Octavian would see us. So, we grabbed a mirror and looked into that. We'd be seeing a reflection, but that's basically the same. Octavian had really gone all out. He had decorated his room. There was a disco ball painted gold, to look like the sum along with red, orange, and gold streamers all around his room. He even got new golden sheets for his bed. All his teddy bears were gone, and instead, Octavian had a stuffed python (Apollo's sacred animal). Another little addition: the python was Python was wearing a laurel wreath and was sitting on top of his shelf. At the center of the wrest was a red dot. Judging by the bow and arrow in his hands, it was a target.  
Soon, Octavian turned to the window and looked out; the sun was just starting to peak out. We looked at the mirror in Percy's hands and saw Octavian turn, nock an arrow, pull his bowstring, and he launched the arrow straight at the python. Bullseye. It was so unfair that all of Apollo's children were born good archers. Anyway, Perce got out his voice changing megaphone, and set it to the the deep voice. We put down the mirror, we didn't need to see Octavian, we just needed to hear his reaction. As Percy raised the amplifier to his lips and pulled the trigger, we heard, "_DEAR GODS!_"  
Of course, Percy and I had to know what was going on. We watched as the stuffed python floated with a slight gold aura around it. It went into a perfect shape and laid flat against Octavian's wall. Then, a gold beam of light reflected off of the disco ball and hit the center of the snake circle. The light spread to the edges of the circle, and an image appeared...  
It was Annabeth. She was in her cabin at Camp Half Blood and was on her bed crying. She had something in her hands, but we couldn't see it. It was too small. The vision focused on the thing in her hands and it looked like a photo. I couldn't see it still, but I could tell it was a picture of Annabeth and someone else...a guy. I panicked and whispered, "Percy, we need to leave."

"Why?"

"Just...trust me."

"But-...fine." He said finally after a long pause.

By the time we got back to Percy's room, we were tired from having stayed up all of last night, and I was distressed after seeing Annabeth of all people. I needed to know what her photo was of. I looked over to Percy, about to ask him, but then I realized.

"Percy..." I said quietly.

"Yeah?" He turned to look at me. "Wait, Nico, what is it?"

"What do you mean?" Trying to act as normal as possible.

"Don't try that with me, Nico. I know you to well for that."

"I...I..." I stuttered, I couldn't form a single word.

"_You what?_" He said, getting worried.

"I need to tell you something." I finally said, just barely pushing the words out of my mouth.

"You can tell me anything, you know that."

"I'm not too sure..."

"Nico, you're scaring me. Just tell me what it is."

"Percy...I'm just not sure I can..." Despite Percy's honest attempts to help, I couldn't stop holding back. There were so many what if's.

"Nico," Percy said, grabbing my shoulders. " I love you, and nothing will change that. You are my boyfriend, and I am yours. I know I'm sounding really cheesy, but it's true. No matter what you say or do, my feelings will stay the same."

Hearing him say that made my eyes tear up, soon, I couldn't hold back, and tears were openly streaming down my face. Sobs were wracking my body. With each breath, I shuddered. My face was now soaked, and so was my shirt. Percy just stared at me with concern and disbelief. His lack of action didn't last long. Soon enough, his arms were around me. He didn't even care about my shirt being wet. Then again, it probably helped that he couldn't get wet. I laughed at that thought, then I went back to intense sobbing. Percy was holding me like his life depended on it. We were pressed up against each other so that our chests were touching. I could feel his heart beating, both of our hearts were beating. A beat from my heart, then a beat from his, one right after the other. I pulled my body away from his and suddenly went back against him as I pulled him into a kiss. It didn't last long enough though, and I was left feeling cold from the fabric of my tear-stained shirt.

"Percy, I..." I barely got out, sniffling after each word.

"No."

"What?"

"No, if you're _this_ conflicted, then I don't want you to tell me until you're ready. I hate seeing you like this."

"You're..."

"...the best? I know." He said, with a smile and a wink.

"I love you." I said, laughing now. I wish I could've laughed more, but my lack of breath made me cough.

"I love you too. Just, tell me when you're ready. Okay?"

"Okay. I wouldn't be able to keep anything from you...not forever. I just..." Before I could say another word though, Octavian burst through the door. "Percy, get away from him! He's not who he says he is!"


	4. Chapter 4: Revelations

"Octavian!" I shouted as he barged in. "Get out!"

"Don't you dare talk to me you sordida mendacem!" Octavian shouted in reply. Octavian came towards me reaching out an intimidating hand.

"Octavian! Back off!" Percy shouted. Gods, I loved him so much it hurt.

"Perseus, do not interfere. You do not know what's going on!" Octavian came back to me, grabbed my short by the collar and began to pull me out of the cabin.

"Hey _Octagon_!" Percy shouted, knowing Octavian hated that name.

"Don't you dare-..." Octavian was cut short as a loud cracking sound echoed through the room. I turned around to see Octavian on the ground, nose bleeding like crazy.

_"Quomodo audes?"_ he shouted from the floor of Percy's cabin. It was just good that Perce's floor was limestone tile and not carpet.

"Don't you dare touch Nico like that. If you need to report anything, check with me first." Percy said, his voice full of authority and power. His eyes became a whirlpool of electric blues, grays, and greens.

I wanted to say _'I love you'_ but I didn't think it was the best time.

"Reyna!..." Octavian shouted as he ran from the cabin.

"Percy...thank you, but you really shouldn't have done that." I expressed, knowing what Octavian had been trying to say.

"It's fine Octavian can't tell me what you're like. You and I know what you're like. No one else." He said, his tone becoming soft as he began to finish what he was saying.

"Look Percy, you really don't know me that much. We love each other and you know my quirks and personality, but you don't know my past or my problems."

"I don't even know my own past, why should it matter?"

"BECAUSE YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!"

"What don't I understand?"

"You..." my voice immediately softening. "You didn't always love me..."

"So what? I love you now."

"It's not just that you didn't love me, it's that you loved someone else..."  
Percy's eyes narrowed. "That girl you saw in Octavian's cabin...she's the girl you loved...or love...I don't know. She still loves you though. I could see it. The way she looked at that photo."

"We couldn't even see that photo."

"That's not the important part though."

"_Niccolo_," he said, sending chills up my spine. "It doesn't matter who I loved before. I love you now. I'm surprised that you didn't know that. When you came into my life, I gave up on the search for my past to create a future with you."

"Percy..." My voice was silenced by his lips, but only for a short while. "Percy, now's not the time. I'm not in the mood. Octavian is talking about me to Reyna and even though what you said made me happy, I'm still in shock and I'm still worried."

"You have nothing to worry about. I'll protect you, no matter what." He wrapped his arms around me which is just what I needed.

Reyna stormed in, all of a sudden, with Octavian close behind.

"Break it up you two!" shouted Octavian.

"Octavian, not now." Reyna said, her commanding voice seeming to echo through the room. She turned to the two of us, "I'm sure you're aware of what Octavian has told me..."

"Yes..." we both said simultaneously.

"Now, spying on other members of the camp is both immoral and against our code. Though it may be hard sometimes to trust one another, especially with Octavian, we have to trust our compatriots. What's even worse is that you injured him. His nose is broken, and it will heal with ambrosia, but that doesn't make it any better. Both of you will clean the camp for an hour a day for two week."

"Wait-" I was about to say before Percy stepped in front of me.

"Thank you so much," he said shaking his Reyna's hand, "I'm so sorry about our behavior. It won't happen again."

"I should hope not..." Reyna said, surprised by Percy's obedience. "You may resume whatever it is you're doing. Your punishment will start tomorrow."

"Thank you!" Percy said as Reyna walked out of the room. Octavian was about to leave when Percy yelled, "Octavian, hold up a second."

"What is it Perseus?" he said, dissent obviously showing in his voice.

"First off, I go be Percy. Second, you didn't tell Reyna everything. Why?"

"What do you mean, Perseus?" Ignoring Percy's request.

"I mean...you didn't tell Reyna about Nico and I...and that girl."

"Well, it seems that Nico has told you..." he said, his voice softening. "It's your problem, not mine, and most definitely not the camp's. I'm just disappointed that my father showed me your petty lives." He said mockingly, reverting to his old self. "Now if that's it, I'll be gone." Before we said he could, he left without another word.

"That was oddly kind of him." Percy said.

"I know, but it was amazing. I think he may have a soft side underneath that super bratty exterior."

"Who knew?"

As he said that, we both burst out into fits of laughter. We couldn't stop for a good 2 minutes. I had to stop though, I had to say something.

"Percy...I really appreciate what you did for me. I mean...standing up for me like that, just, thank you."

" You know I'd do anything for you, right?"

"Of course. Thank you."

•••

_"HAPPY 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY!"_  
I heard from all of Camp Jupiter. Even Octavian. He wasn't just skulking in a corner, but was openly celebrating with us. There weren't too many people here, but it was nice. Our party consisted of Hazel, Frank, Reyna, and Octavian.

Soon enough, we got to the presents. It was safe to say that it was both me and Percy's favorite part. The first gift was from Frank. Percy and I opened the small, box wrapped in red paper and saw a two dog tags with each other's names on them. I out on the one with Percy's name on it and he put on the one with mine. Just by looking at it, mine looked like a back, obsidian stone on a chain, and Percy's looked like an aquamarine stone on a chain. If we touched them, they went back to the dog tags.

"Touch each other's."

"Okay..." we both said.

I touched his necklace, and it turned to a heart shape, and when he touched my necklace, it did the same.

"Anything else?" We asked.

"Why you ungrateful..." Frank was saying, "...haha, of course. If you can't find each other and touch them, then you'll know where they are. Plus, if you put them together...well, just see for yourselves."

We did as we were told and put them together. Instantly, the two of us felt tingly and everyone gasped and we asked, "What?"

"You're..." Hazel said fading off.

"Gone." Frank said proudly. "It has a charm so that when you're together and you're chains are touching, you're protected from anyone looking in at you too."

"Aww, thank you Frank." I said.

"Yeah man, that's really thoughtful. Thank you." Percy said, in agreement.

"You're welcome you guys. The two of you deserve it."

"Okay, so, moving on. My turn." Hazel said walking towards us with her gift.

Percy and I were both pretty excited just by looking at it. The way that the light shone off of the silver ribbon was gorgeous, and it perfectly contrasted the purple shade of the gift wrap that was reminiscent of the Camp Jupiter flag.

"Whoa..." we both said.

"Well...just open it already!" Hazel exclaimed.

"Don't have to ask me twice!" Percy said, and before I could touch the box all of the ribbon and wrapping was gone. At least I got to open the actual box. Inside was a skull and a orb, blue as the seas.

"Oh my gosh. Who is this?" Percy said, pointing at the skull.

"It's no one, haha. _It's fake_, but it does have power. Lots of it. What do these do, Hazel?"

"Well, they're like crystal spheres. They show you what you want to see. Go ahead, test them." She said, in a matter-of-fact kind of tone.

We didn't need to respond, we just did. When I touched the skull, it shifted as though it were liquid. It went from bone to crystal in five seconds and was soon showing me images of my mom and sister chatting down in Elysium. When Percy touched his, I thought it wasn't working at first. The image that appeared on his orb was of me looking at my orb. A unanimous "AWWWW!" Was heard from our guests...all except Octavian. I gave Percy a hug and then gave one to Hazel for the generous gifts.

"How did you get these?" I asked.

"Uh uh! A daughter of Pluto _never_ gives away her secrets." Hazel said with a wink. "Happy Anniversary half-bro."

"Okay!" Octavian interrupted, bursting through the crowd. "Moving on, here you go."

"Love you too."

In front of us, Octavian had laid down a Easter basket with enough cellophane around it so that we couldn't tell what was inside; however, Percy quickly remedied the situation by ripping every last bit of cellophane to shreds. Inside the basket, there were two stuffed figures and shreds of cellophane. Percy and I both picked up one of the figures and took a closer look. They were stuffed versions of Neptune and Pluto. If only they knew that we were Greek. Anyway, I couldn't help but feel all fuzzy inside at this sign of affection from Octavian.  
Percy and I both took Octavian into a hug. Octavian made tried to make it as awkward as possible, but Percy and I didn't mind.

"Alright, alright. Break it up now. I doubt that's all that enjoyable for any of you." Reyna finally said, tearing is away from Octavian. "If I may say so myself, you've saved the best for last." said Reyna as she was walking up to us...empty handed.

"Um, not to sound ungrateful, but you don't have anything." I said.

"Oh, well, actually, that's because we have to go to the Senate House for your present."

"Um...okay." So, all six of us walked over to the Senate House. Once we got there, Argentum and Aurum were waiting for us.

_"Da nobis ingressu," _Reyna commanded her two precious metal mutts. The two of them walked into the Senate House as the doors seemed to magically open; the rest of us followed.

"Follow me."

"Like we had a choice?" Frank said.

All of laughed, except for Reyna of course.

As we walked into the main room, Argentum and Aurum disappeared.

"Where did?-" I was cut off as Argentum and Aurum barked from behind us. We all turned around to find the two guard dogs perfectly balancing purple packages on their backs. Percy and I each took one and opened the boxes we had picked. Inside were togas and badges with an eagle and the SPQR on them.

"Congratulations. Niccolo DiAngelo, you are now appointed Ambassador of Pluto and the 9th Senator. Percy..."

"_Jackson_," I filled in.

"_Jackson_..." Reyna repeated, "are hereby appointed the Ambassador of Neptune and the 10th Senator."

Percy and I couldn't help but hug Reyna. It was just such a nice gift.

"Alright, that's enough." Reyna said.

"I can't thank you enough." said Percy.

"Yeah, thank you." I said.

"Well, I've let you stay up enough past curfew. Everyone to your barracks." Reyna commanded.

"Thanks again everyone." I said.

We all hugged and went off to our dorms. Well, they all went to theirs, and Percy and I went to Percy's. Once inside, Percy was holding his hands behind his back.

"What're you doing?" I asked.

"Here, for you." Percy replied. He extended his hand, and in it was a small black box. I thought he was proposing until I remembered he was standing. We were all good. I opened the box and looked inside. Inside was a ring, but it wasn't an engagement ring. It was just a ring. In the center was a big black ball of obsidian. Engraved into the ring were the words _'Property of Percy Jackson_'. Just like him, funny and sweet at the same time. I wrapped my arms around him in gratitude.

"Thank you." I said

"You're welcome." He said giving me a chaste kiss.

"I wanted to surprise you tomorrow, but I actually have a present for you to."

"What?"

"Tomorrow, we're going to visit your past."


	5. Chapter 5: Something Old, Something New

I woke up the next day to find sunlight glaring in through the cracks in Percy's blinds. It was enough to wake me up. Everyone that knows me knows I'm a light sleeper. I looked around the room and oddly enough, Percy wasn't there.

"Morning sleepy-head." Percy said right outside of the bathroom, dripping wet in only a towel. I jumped, throwing a pillow at him.

"Don't scare me like that!" I practically screamed.

"Alright, alright. I was just about to wake you up anyway. We've got a long day ahead of us. Places to go, memories to know." He said the last part somewhat dreamily as if he were already imagining it.

"Hey Perce, don't expect too much. Not all memories are good ones."

"I know, I know. I just want to find out what I was like before and where a lived, and..."

"I know you're excited Percy, just calm down. Please." I expressed, trying to sooth him as best I could. "I'm going to get showered, then we can have breakfast and leave for Camp Half-Blood."

_"Camp Half-Blood?"_

"You'll find out soon enough."

As soon as I got out of the shower and got dressed, Percy was at the door like a dog ready to be walked for the first time in a year.

"Come on!" Percy badgered impatiently.

•••

"Dang it Percy, I'm starving."

"I'm sorry, I just couldn't wait." Percy said as he gazed down into the ocean of orange t-shirts and celestial bronze armor.

As we finally materialized, a buzz of excitement was heard from the premise of the camp.

"Is that?-" and, "Could it be?-" were just a few if the comments that were easily heard coming from the channel of children.

Before we knew it, Percy and I were surrounded by a group of his biggest admirers. I recognized quite a few, but couldn't remember most of their names. Behind that wave of on-comers was another wage of new recruits completely unknown to me.

"Percy!" came a bellow from a red headed giant. This girl looked to be six feet tall and was far from dainty. She was covered in as much armor as a human could possibly put on without crumpling under the weight. A typical daughter of Ares. Soon, the son of..."Neptune" was wrapped in what seemed to be the tightest bear hug of his life. "You don't know how long I've been waiting for you Ocean Breath. What kept you?"

"I'm sorry, but...who are you?" Percy asked, utterly confused.

"Don't try that with me Percy! I know you better than that. Now tell me what kept you before I make you lose even more brain cells."

"I'm sorry, but I honestly don't remember you..." Percy said, sounding sadder now than I'd ever heard him.

"Ha! Told ya he didn't like you, Clar-Bear! You remember me though, right Perce? 'Course ya do!" Out of nowhere, a _faun_- I mean, _satyr_ came charging through the crowd directly to Percy.

"Who?..." Percy said, looking pained and confused.

"Dude, Perce, what're ya talkin' about? Why're you so bummed?"

Percy gasped, "Grover!" he said, quickly bringing the satyr into a right hug.

Grover pushed him away, "Dude, what's up with you?"

"I..." Percy barely got out.

"Guys, we need to talk, cutting off Percy so that he wasn't as embarrassed. "Only friends should come. People that want to meet him will just have to wait. I'm sorry. Come with me guys." I announced to the crowd. When I said that, half of them got scared, and the other half were just plain confused.  
As I requested, all of Percy's friends came...except for Annabeth. No matter where I looked, I couldn't find her. I was beginning to get worried. We walked to Percy's old cabin. He didn't remember the way, so I had to lead. As we were all walking, I called out, "Grover, I need you to get over here!" He came and I asked him, "Where in the world is Annabeth?"

"Oh, Annabeth? I think she's...ya know, haha, I don't know."

I was never the biggest fan of satyrs or fauns, but, right now, I was just plain annoyed. "Can you go find and get her?"

"Sure, whatever you want bro."

I cringed when he called me that, but I continued to lead the group even after Grover was long gone. We finally got to Percy's old cabin and gathered everyone around the front of the cabin.

"Do you want me to say it, or do you?" I asked Percy.

"I'd rather you say it if that's alright."

"That's fine. Guys, we have something to announce."

"Just tell us!" Clarisse shouted.

"Okay! Calm down...Percy didn't leave by choice...he was transported..." I went on for a good half an hour or so explaining the whole situation. All around me, everyone was glancing at me with blank or confused faces...if they weren't crying. Unsurprisingly, Clarisse wasn't crying, but she actually seemed to be deep in thought. "Clarisse, what is it?"

"It's just...there's another kid that's here at Camp Half-Blood, and he went through the same thing."

"Wait, Clarisse, who and where are they?"

"His name is Jason and he's probably with Annabeth right now."

"Wait, why Annabeth?"

"Well, you wouldn't know. You haven't been here. _Jason and Annabeth are dating."_ Clarisse said, taking a quick glance at Percy.


	6. Chapter 6: A Blast to the Past

"Dude, I got her for ya!" can a shout from my_ favorite satyr_, Grover.

In walked Grover, accompanied by Annabeth and who I assumed to be Jason. The two of them were holding hands, and as soon as Annabeth saw Percy, her jaw dropped and she let go of Jason's hand. She took a step towards Percy, but hesitated.  
"I...Percy..." Annabeth seemed to whimper out. "I...never expected to see you again." As she said that, she glanced to Jason, then back to Percy.  
Jason came towards Percy with an extended hand. "Jason Grace, nice to meet you."  
Before any of us knew what was happening, Jason was on the ground, his eye shut and his hands by his face.  
"Hey, what in Olympus what that for?"  
"You took Annabeth away from me you little _bástardos_!"  
Percy charged at Jason, but before Percy could reach him, a bolt of lightning shot from Jason's hand.  
_"Fýge makriá mou!" _Jason shouted.  
"You did not just do that!" Percy said, and as he said it, the browns began to shake and crack; however, it wasn't because of him, it was me. It pained me to see this going on, and before long, it was over. I was enveloped in darkness, and so were Jason, Percy, and Annabeth.  
"What was that?" Jason asked.  
"Shadow travel." Annabeth and Percy answered simultaneously. I hate to admit it, but their unison kind of angered me. They'd been reunited for a few minutes and they were already talking at the same time. That had only happened to me and Percy occasionally. Anger overcame me and I couldn't think of what to do next.  
"Enough, both of you! We need to talk, not fight." I didn't realize the words had came out of my mouth until I had said them.  
"Nico is right," Annabeth said, but I was more surprised that she remembered my name.  
"Thank you, now both of you: to your corners."  
They both muttered as they split up.

"Now, Percy. What the hell was that? Since when do you fight for Annabeth again?" I asked, frustrated and confused.  
"I don't know...I just...felt so angry when I saw them together. Nico, I'm confused. I love you, so why am I so mad at Jason?" Percy asked, his eyes brimming with tears and his forehead wrinkled in confusion. I just wanted to hold Percy and tell him it was all okay, but I couldn't lie to him.  
"Percy...l...when you left. I missed you, but Jason came...and I love him. I always liked you, but I never felt this before...I'm sorry." Annabeth whispered.

**Author's Note****: Sorry for the short chapter everyone. The next one will be much longer, but I didn't like where this one was going. I'll continue from here. No rewrite, but I need to think over this more. The dynamics seem weird to me and if you have any ideas or comments, I would love to hear them.**


	7. Chapter 7: Can It Be True?

"No, Annabeth...don't be sorry. You feel what you feel and neither you nor I can control it." Percy assured Annabeth.  
"But..." Annabeth replied.  
"Stop, look, if you couldn't already tell, Nico...he and I..."  
"Wait, Percy, I never thought you were...gay...or bisexual. I'm sorry to ask this, but _what are you_?" The way she said it wasn't the most sensitive. For a daughter of Athena, she wasn't the most knowledgeable in this area.  
"Honestly, I..." he laughed at himself with tears still brimming, "_I'm gay_. I never thought I'd say it, but it's true. Just seeing you brings back some memories that are better than I could've expected...but it also brings back some that are worse than I expected. I loved you, and you're an important part of my life, but neither is in a romantic way..._I'm sorry_."  
Before anyone knew what was going on, Percy and Annabeth were holding each other. Jason and I just stood aside and let them figure it out. I looked around and couldn't figure out where I had taken us. I was hoping to get us to an empty cabin, but we seemed to be in a cave. Despite having pretty much perfected shadow travel and all of the other powers I inherited, there was still that sliver of time when things went wrong.  
"Hey, I'm sorry guys, but could we get back to Camp Half-Blood?" Jason looked freaked out and I couldn't blame him.  
"Okay." Percy and Annabeth begrudgingly muttered. They let go of each other and walked towards me and Jason. We gather in a circle, and I let us fade into the shadows. We wound up back at the camp and popped up in the Hades cabin. The cobwebs in the corners and the peeling wallpaper showed how long it had been since I or anyone had been here. It was 10 o' clock and so we all split up, except Percy and I went to his cabin. He and I laid down in his bed, and I put my head on his chest. Soon, a set of fingers were unconsciously running through my hair.  
"Hey, Percy?..."  
"Yeah? What is it?"  
"Is all of what you said to Annabeth true? I mean..."  
"All of it. Nico, you know I love you. It seems like Annabeth loves Jason too, so it works out."  
"Okay, I know you do, but it all just seems so easy. It's unnatural. I mean, I can understand her moving on, but to the point where she didn't care you were gay? I'm just suspicious. I feel like there's more that hasn't been said."  
"Hey, look, if it's supposed to work out, it will...and I'm pretty sure it's supposed to." He said the last words and kissed the top of my head. I couldn't help but draw myself close to him and wrapped him around in my arms. He turned and did the same, and soon, both of us slipped into a dreamless sleep.

•••

Nemesis was furious. The goddess of balance looked down at the camp of Greek demigods and her anger deepened. She looked down from her perch in Olympus and her eyes went from black to red to yellow and back to black. Success required sacrifice, and she never got enough sacrifices at Camp Half-Blood to ever allow such romantic success. After all, her motto was _'True Success Requires Sacrifice'_.  
Nemesis went from the goddess of balance to the goddess of revenge. To get back to how things were supposed to be, she had to do something. Something big, and she knew _exactly what to do_. Annabeth couldn't be that accepting, not with her around.


	8. Chapter 8: Nemesis' Revenge

Morning came, and I attempted to sit up only to realize Percy was pretty much on top of me. It was alright though, I didn't exactly mind this. I just held him tighter. Millions of thoughts raced through my head at once._ How could it possible have been so easy?_ I asked myself. Of course, Annabeth came in, right on cue.  
"Percy, you ass!"  
"Wha-...ugh...Annabeth, not now..." Percy muttered. Sleep oozed into his voice as he tried drifting off again.  
"No! Get off of Nico and get over here right now!"  
"Fine...what is it?" Percy got up, but it took him a while. I may be a light sleeper, but he sure wasn't. He was up, and was soon wrapped in Annabeth's arms involved in a deep kiss. Percy was just as surprised as I was.  
"What in Olympus?" He pushed her off.  
"I've been thinking, and we are not over. You think you can just leave, forget everything, and abandon me?" She thundered.  
"Annabeth, it wasn't exactly my choice. Anyway, we're over. It wasn't just me. You have that Jason guy and you said he makes you feel better than I ever did."  
"Don't even try that with me Perseus." Her voice exuded anger and her face was as scary as her tone, but her eyes...her eyes were glazed over. The grey almost became blue and her pupils were dilated as if she were in the dark.  
"Hey, what are you doing? Percy isn't yours, and he's not mine. He's his own person and..."  
"You're just lucky enough to be his choice." She finished my sentence for me. Her tone made me realize how much of a douche it'd make me sound like if I had said that.  
"That may not have been the best wording, but what Nico said is true. Anyway, does Jason even know that you're here saying this?"  
"Jason doesn't need to know anything," Annabeth's eyes went from blue to grey to red, and it soon all made sense.  
"Percy..." I tried to get his attention.  
"Not now, Neeks. Annabeth, even if I could return the feelings, I'd know this is wrong to leave Jason hanging like that. If you don't want him, tell him, but don't come to me."  
"But..." Annabeth's eyes flashed again, going from grey to red to black to grey to red, and back to grey. The glaze seemed to go away, and she seemed dazed all of a sudden. She looked around as if she were the one with amnesia.  
"No. no but's. Get out Annabeth. What you're doing is unacceptable."  
"Percy, what..."  
"No more questions. Just get out." She turned to the door and looked back at Percy. I could see the look on her face affected him, but it wasn't enough to stop him from slapping her. She had a slight red mark on her face, and tears were welling up in her eyes. I tried to get to her, but she was already gone.  
"Percy..." I stammered.  
"Nico, I can't talk right now. I'm not feeling to good," the pain and thought he was going through was evident on his face, "I'm going for a swim." As soon as he had said that, he was gone. The door to his cabin was left open, and I just looked out to see a crowd of campers that had gathered from the commotion.  
"What're you looking at?!" I wanted to shout, but the sadness in my voice was clear. Tears started to form in my eyes, and I slammed the door shut and walked to the bed, burying me face in the biggest pillow I could find. It smelled of Percy...


	9. Chapter 9: Don't Fight Fire With Fire

Percy finally came back from his swim. He had been out in the Camp Half-Blood lake for what seemed to be hours. I looked at the clock, he's been gone 45 minutes. As he walked through the door to his cabin, he was fully dressed and completely dry, a perk of being a son of Poseidon.  
"Hey," Percy muttered. It was easy to tell from his expression that he was deep in thought.  
"Hey," I replied, trying to act casual.  
Percy flipped down on the bed right next to me and turned towards me. His hand reached out to mine, but I pulled away.  
"Perce, we need to talk."  
"No, not right now."  
"I can't sit and wait until you're ready to talk. It needs to happen now. What happened with Ann-"  
"I don't want to hear it Nico. What Annabeth just pulled was inexcusable. I can't deal with her. To say it was fine and then take it back like that is just such a low move that it's not even worth dealing with it's-" he didn't get to finish that though because right as he was about to, a scream was heard from outside. Percy and I ran to see what was going on.  
There was a girl on the ground right in front of a smoking motorcycle. Well, to clarify, the whole motorcycle was giving of smoke...or was it mist? I think it was mist, but anyway, on top of the motorcycle was a young adult woman with a whip strapped at her waist. She got up and walked over to Percy, and her black curls bounced as she strode. She was in head to toe leather from her headband to her studded jacket and gloves along with a matching pair of skin tight black skinny jeans; all of it was accompanied by tall black boots that reached her knees.  
"Hi boys!" she sneered winking at me and Percy with her eyes fading from red to black and back to red.  
"Hey Neeks!" the woman snarled knowing I hated the nickname.  
"Now I know I've met you Neek-Neek, but I just have to say it's an honor Mr. Jackson. If you don't know me, which you should, I'm-"  
"Nemesis," I finished for her, "the goddess of balance and vengeance."  
"Thank you...for that marvelous introduction!" she announced, attempting to glorify and draw as much attention to herself as possible. "I'm back and better than ever, now back to you Mr. Jackson," she stated pointing her finger at him, "We need to talk." It wasn't what she said that made me cringe, it was that she had grabbed his face like she owned him. She drew her long, black nails down his face in such an intimate way that I had a hard time holding back my last meal.

"Come with me hun," Nemesis said teasingly.

"Get off of me!" Percy replied angrily.  
All of a sudden, a light purple mist swirled in the center of the crowd. It started to smell like grape juice, and soon, Dionysus appeared where the mist had been.  
"Nemesis! Stop it, the child doesn't deserve to be harmed!" He shrieked at her.  
"Now how _dare_ you talk to your elder cousin like that? I was born millennia before you, don't think you're above me little cousin."  
"Perseus is innocent! He may be a brat, but he's a good kid!"  
"What makes you think that you can tell me what to do? Especially after Pentheus! It's my job to enact revenge, not yours. This is my revenge on you. It's also my revenge on Nico for disturbing the balance. All of these are in _MY_ jurisdiction, not yours!" Nemesis screeched.  
Her pain was worse than the souls in the River Acheron. It was like she had honestly been hurt, and a goddess of revenge who wants to enact revenge is something to be afraid of.  
Nemesis' black curls turned into flames if black and red that sent smoke wrapping around her. Soon, she was wrapped in an aura of smoke. _"HOW DARE YOU?! YOU SHALL PAY, AFTER ALL, WE MUST KEEP THE BALANCE OF THINGS_." She cackled as she lunged towards him, but before she reached him, a lightning bolt struck her down. Zeus appeared next to his two brothers. For the first time in history, the Big Three were in the mortal world all at once.

"You shall not harm my son!" Poseidon boomed.  
"After all, that'd affect my son as well." Hades chimed in.  
"Plus we can't forget that my son would have to deal with the aftershock of Annabeth's feelings." Zeus claimed. For the first time since the Second Titan War, the Big Three was in total agreement.  
Nemesis backed away and her aura of smoke-mist faded. Her eyes went from red to black and they grew suddenly fearful. She growled, hopped on her bike and lifted off into the sky leaving a trail of her special mist behind her.  
I couldn't help but run towards Percy and hold him. He returned the affection and held me just as tightly. No matter what happened, I'd love him.  
"Alright boys, that's enough." Zeus said.  
"Sorry," we both chimed simultaneously.  
"Son..." both of our fathers called. As we let go of one another we grabbed into our fathers. Hades wasn't exactly the warm and fuzzy type, but he still held me.

He whispered to me, "I'm sorry, but I must leave. It was inappropriate of me to come in the first place," and as suddenly as he had appeared, he was gone. I turned, and both Poseidon and Zeus were gone as well.  
The only people left were Percy, me, Dionysus, and the crowd that'd gathered though it had greatly dwindled after the appearances of the gods.  
"Percy, we need to talk. Please, before something else happens." I begged.  
"Whatever it is you need, I'm willing." he responded and I could tell he was genuine.

•••

We got back to his cabin after that encounter and had been back for about an hour.  
"I'm still shocked..." Percy stated, bewildered.  
"See, Percy? It wasn't Annabeth's fault. Nemesis had caused it. If you had stayed when I asked to talk the first time, you would've known."  
"I'm so sorry Nico. I should've listened to you, I was just..." his mind wandered.  
"It's okay, I probably would've done the same exact thing. After having gone through so much already, I can't imagine being in your place."  
Percy just held me after that and sobbed. He wasn't usually the one to be crying, but I was glad by the change in roles. All I could do was hold him, and that was satisfying enough for both me and him.  
"We need to talk to Annabeth." I said; he just looked at me, nodded, and went back to my shoulder. Minutes passed, and finally, the son of Poseidon ran out of tears. Soon, he was ready to talk to Annabeth, and that's exactly what we headed out to do.

•••

"Oh my gods! Are you guys okay?" Annabeth cried running up to us right outside of the Athena cabin.  
"We're fine. We need to talk." Percy stated.  
"Okay, sure! Please! Um, want to come in and sit down?"  
"No, it's alrighr, I need to talk to you now. Right here is fine."  
"Okay, what is it? Well, I mean, have you made any new decisions or discoveries?"  
"All of what you said, I know it wasn't you." Before I knew what happened, Annabeth was squeezing Percy.  
"Thank you, thank you, thank you! I'm so glad you know." Tears were forming in her eyes, and I couldn't tell why. Whether they were tears of joy or tears of sadness was hard to tell.  
"Annabeth, what is it?" I asked, needing to know what was causing her tears.  
"I...Nemesis didn't force me to lie...I think I love you Percy, which is really confusing because I love Jason too..."


	10. Chapter 10: Apollo's Gift

"Wait, what?!" I could barely hold myself from jumping at Annabeth. After all I had done to get Percy to understand how she'd been possessed, it just had to turn out that she actually did love him.  
"Does Jason know?" Percy inquired.  
"No...I haven't been able to talk to him. I love him too and I'm not sure that he'd be as understanding as you two."  
"Look, Annabeth: I don't love you as a boyfriend. I always have and always will love you as a friend though. Loving you that way, though, is an impossibility. Nico is everything to me and I never want that to change. I'm so sorry to break this to you, but you have to know."  
"It's alright...I just...have to go." She barely got out the words as she ran from the room. I knew that she was devastated, but I also knew there was nothing I could do to help. Rather than discuss it, we decided to walk back to Percy's cabin and silently contemplated it on our own. When we got back, I just had to talk to him.  
"Perce, I'm so sorry for all the drama. I wish-" I began, but was quickly interrupted by Percy wrapping himself around me. He tilted my head up and met my lips with his own. I loved him, and I just wish we could've stayed that way forever; however, that daydream was quickly interrupted by Grover heading in.  
"Hey, wha...sorry, never mind..."  
"Dude, it's fine. Come on." I said. Percy sighed, but knew that we should let him in.  
"You sure?"  
"Yes, please. Just make it brief."  
"Okay, so, Perce. I was wondering what else you remember. I mean, do you remember me? Clarisse? Chiron? Who and what do you remember?"  
"Not much to be honest. I remember you and Clarisse now. Not Chiron though and not much excep-" he stuttered and fell to the ground.  
"Perce!" Grover and I shouted in unison. He began to shudder as green mist surrounded his body. His eyes opened, but there was no sign of Percy. Instead of the usual sea green, a cloud of white was in its place. The blood rushed from his face and he became a ghostly shade of white. I should know.

"PERCY!" I screamed at the top of my lungs as I went running to him. I couldn't lose him now, not after all of this. He continued to shudder and I attempted to hold him down to no avail. His skin was ice cold and still as pale as before. No matter what, he continued to shake.  
Grover had disappeared without me noticing, but was soon back with Chiron and others. The centaur leader of the camp rushed over in his magical wheelchair.  
"Get a child of Asclepius in here right now! We need a healer!" Chiron roared.  
Two more half-bloods came into the camp. One boy and one girl. I didn't care about names, I just needed someone to help him. The guy kneeled down and summoned a container of medicine. So this was the child of Asclepius. As he reached into his box of medical goodies, a familiar girl with hair like flames rushed in.  
"Percy? Wait, don't do anything Evan! He's having a vision. Apollo wants him to see something, and if you stop this...well, just now you'd be messing with a god."  
The son of Asclepius immediately dropped his equipment back into his box and allowed it to dissolve into the thin air it had come from.  
"Rachel!" Chiron shouted, "Are you sure of this? Percy is neither an oracle nor a son of Apollo."  
"I know that! Apollo obviously has something important to show him."  
I looked at her devastation and realized that I had tears streaming down my cheeks and still couldn't stop.  
"Everyone, quiet, Percy might be back."  
All of us in the room looked back to Percy and he seemed like his normal self again. His skin was back to its tan hue and his face was relaxed. He looked just as gorgeous sleeping as he did when he was awake.  
"Everyone...please, can I be alone with him?" I begged, and all silently agreed and left except for Rachel, but that was okay. Rachel was the only person that knew about what had just happened and was the most capable of helping.  
"Percy...Hey, come on...Wake up. Please Perce, for me." As I said his nickname, his eyes scrunched and he took in a deep breath.  
"Hey, Rae, can you help me lift him onto his bed?"  
"Yeah, of course."  
She did like she said she would and helped me get Percy to a more comfortable position. I wrapped him in blankets and Rachel decided it was alright for her to leave. I laid back in an easy chair at the corner of the room and was asleep before I knew I was tired.  
Percy woke up before I did, and I finally opened my eyes finding myself in his arms with him carrying me bridal style to the bed.  
"Hey, Perce? We need to-" I muttered, but barely whimpered out.  
"Shhh. We'll talk more later. I have a lot to say."


	11. Chapter 11: Old Habits Die Hard

"Hey, morning." I mumbled, "hey, Perce, come on."  
"Mmmmm...what?" Percy grumbled.  
"It's 10 o' clock. We need to get up."  
"Fine..." He said as he lifted himself up onto his elbows and rubbed his eyes on his bare shoulders and arms.  
"Give me a sec, 'kay? Go ahead and take a shower, I'll get dressed by the time you're out."  
"'Kay." I responded.

•••

He did as he said, and as I walked out of the shower, Percy was sitting on the edge of the bed in a plain white tee and blue jeans. From his hunched position, I could tell there was something on his mind.  
"Hey, what is it?" I whispered into his ear. Percy took his hand off of his eyes and his elbows off his knees as he wrapped me into his arms. I hadn't noticed it before, but the collar of his shirt was damp to the point of transparency.  
"Hey, whatever is going on, you can tell me...Perce, tell me what's the matter."  
Finally, he let down his guard and let me in on what was troubling him.  
"Okay...okay..." He said in between his sharp, gasping breaths. "Nico, what I'm about to say is something you can never repeat to anyone. Not Mom, not Annabeth, not Chiron, not-"  
"I get the point Perce, I won't tell a soul...pun not intended...but you have to admit that's pretty good."  
Percy chuckled as he admitted, "Yeah, haha...God, okay, I need you to just hear everything I have to say before you respond at all. Look, I remembered a lot of my past yesterday, and though I had a lot of good things going for me, there was a bad...past to my past, if that makes sense."  
I nodded, confirming his inclination.  
"There was a man, named Gabe..."  
Percy had mentioned him before, but I needed to know what he had to do with all of this.  
"...he was my mom's boyfriend for a while, and...and..."  
He shuddered, but continued. "...he did so many things...I...because of him...I'm not a virgin, Nico. Ni..." Before he could continue, I wrapped my my arms around him and held him as he shuddered over and over. His breath came out in short, desperate sobs. My hand reached around to the back of his shirt and reached underneath, but what I felt underneath wasn't pleasant. I felt scar after scar; although Percy had been on many dangerous quests, I knew there was more behind the scars than that. There was something behind all of him, and as I thought of this, I began to cry just as much and just as hard as he was.  
Together, we were getting his shirts more and more drenched. Time passed by like hours were seconds, and by the time we ran out of tears, it was 6 hours later; making it 5 o' clock and making us both starving. I told Percy I'd grab us some food from the mess hall after confirming he'd be alright. My suspicions weren't gone, but I had to get us something to keep us alive. Being alive didn't mean much to me, being the son of the ruler of the Underworld, but I knew both Percy and I'd much rather stay on the surface than below.

•••

As Nico left the cabin, Percy sat up straighter to stretch and laid his hands down on his pockets. He looked at his hands and felt something underneath his right hand. His hand slipped into his pocket as he soon pulled out a pen.

Percy rotated his arm so he was looking at the underside of his arm and glanced over the familiar red lines. They'd faded over time, but he remembered where every line was and what caused him to carve them. As he ran his eyes over his arm, he looked back to his hand and uncapped his pen, unleashing Riptide. A wave of sadness ran over him, and his urges grew until he couldn't hold back any longer.


	12. Chapter 12: An Act of Passion

Percy looked at himself in the mirror, making sure that the sweater he had pulled over himself covered the newly wrapped gauze on his arms. Everything looked normal, he looked a little flushed, but otherwise fine. He capped riptide and stored it away into his pocket, making it hidden from sight. As he did so, he heard the doorknob turn and ran for the bed, encasing himself in the sheets.

•••

"Okay, so I got-" I stopped myself as I saw Percy, back in bed, probably sound asleep. As I started to leave, I turned back to make sure Percy was asleep. Unfortunately, I must've been having an off-day because I was heard when I meant to be silent.  
"Mmmm, smells good. What'd you get?"  
"There's burger sliders, pizza slices, and all of your favorites. Take your pick."  
"Yes! Thank you so much. You're a gods' send. I'm starving!"  
I watched as Percy devoured all I had brought him, but that wasn't anything new. All of a sudden, I noticed that he was wearing wearing one of my sweaters; it was obviously too small for him.  
"Hey, could you take off my sweater Perce? If you're cold you can wear one your size; you know, one you won't stretch out."  
When I tried to come towards Percy, he backed away as if I was doing something somehow wrong.  
"No, it's fine. Please, this one is so much softer than any of like and I just found out that I look good in black." Unfortunately for my sweater, he was right; he looked good in black and I didn't mind him wearing it all that much. As I looked over him in the sweater, my eyes glanced over at his arms and saw something sticking out from the sleeves.  
"Percy, what's that?" I inquired as I grabbed his wrist to see the rest of his arm.

When I did, he winced and recoiled his arm from me.  
"It's nothing. Don't worry about it."  
Grabbing his arm again I said, "Percy, just show me what's on your arms."  
We wrestled for a while with me trying to grab ahold of his arms while he squirmed away. Finally, I grabbed his wrist, and as he cried out, I pulled him closer and saw what was on his arms.  
"Okay, why do you have gauze on your arms?"  
"It's nothing." He stated as he tried to pull away yet again.  
"No it's not, don't lie to me Percy. Now tell me what's underneath these wraps before I take them off myself."  
"It's just a cut." It was an obvious lie, and I knew it.  
"Down the entirety of both of your arms?" I noticed his pen, Riptide, sticking out of his pocket slightly and quickly snatched it from him.  
Quickly, I took the cap off of it, and on the newly formed blade, I saw stains of red. Recent, too, by how it lacked discoloration I couldn't take my eyes away from the blade, but I could tell Percy was watching for my reaction with baited breath.  
"_Why? Percy, why would you?..._"  
"I don't know, but I...I liked it...Nico, I'm scared. I know it's supposed to be bad, but I don't think it is."  
"But-"  
"No Nico, I'm sorry, but it's the only way I can truly express myself."  
"_You have me_, and you know you can tell me anything."  
"I know, but..."  
"Percy, I know you have some 'logical' reason for doing what you did, but it's not safe and it's not good. I don't want to lose you because my dad would be all too happy to keep you. Please, just talk to Chiron for me?"  
"Only because it means so much to you. I'll talk to him tomorrow."


	13. Chapter 13: A Conversation with Chiron

"So...Nico has informed me of some of the major details of the situation here, but I am still clueless as to the cause. Perseus, I have the major details, but I need the minute ones as well. Is there anything you'd like to say now?"  
"Umm...what exactly do you know?"  
"I know what's underneath those wraps on your arms and how they got there. What I need and want to know is why. If you don't want to tell me, that's understandable, but unnecessary. You'll have to tell me if you want to be helped."  
"I don't need help, Chiron, I'm fine."  
"No, Perseus, you're not. You need to realize that doing this to yourself is unsafe, harmful, and even detrimental to your mental state if continued over a long period of time."  
"Two things. One, it's Percy. Two, I don't even know what that just meant."  
"It means what you're doing isn't good...Percy. Now, just tell me what's going on."  
"I don't have to tell you anything. Now, I'm leaving."  
"No, you're not. Lou Ellen, get in here!"  
"Who's that? Why can't I go? What the?"  
As Percy looked down at the chair he was sitting in, he saw shackles of purple energy around his arms where they met the armrests.  
"Good Lou Ellen, now, do as we discussed."  
"What? What's going on? Let me go! I don't want to be here anymore! Please! You're scaring me!"  
"Calm down. This is all for the best. Now, Lou Ellen. Perseus, this won't hurt a bit."  
Lou Ellen emerged from Chiron's wheelchair, it was a disturbing sight, to be sure, and Percy couldn't help but freak out.  
"Please! Get me out of here! I don't want to be here! Where's Nico? What're you doing? Please! Chiron! Lou Ellen? Don't!"  
"It's okay Percy, calm down, deep breaths. What we're doing here is for the best." Lou Ellen stated, trying her best to comfort the panicking Percy."Now, let's begin:  
'_Hypnos vénen de manera que estar a prop, ara esborrar la por d'aquest semidéu.  
Hécate, oh mare de tots els indicibles, anem, a nosaltres, he aquí les seves paraules.  
Que puguin venir de molt lluny, porta vells records de tornada per quedar-se.  
Gràcies déus, per favor, que això sigui. Ara fer aquest nen molt feliç.  
Per deixar clar que serà feliç, deixa per tant duren eternament.  
EMPRESA!_'"

•••

"NICO!" I stood straight up as Percy came running to me.  
"What is it Perce? What's wrong?"  
"Nothing," he said as he chuckled, "I'm just really happy to see you. Thanks for telling me to see Chiron."  
"Welcome...so...I'm going to guess it all went well?"  
"Amazing! I'm so sorry for what I did. I now realize how wrong and stupid I was. Can you forgive me?"  
I saw tears welling up in his eyes despite his semi-upbeat tone and couldn't help but reply, "Of course. There isn't a single thing that could make me upset with you. I felt bad for you, but never mad."  
"Yay! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Percy exclaimed as he wrapped his arms around me in a vice-like hug.  
"Percy..." I croaked, "can't...breath..."  
"Oh, sorry."  
As he let go, I gasped, trying to get in as much air as possible.  
"Wow, um, do you want to go and grab dinner?"  
"No thanks, I'm not hungry. Thanks for thinking of me though."  
"Well...you're welcome. Um, I'm going to go ahead and grab some food. You can come too if you want, or we can meet up later in your cabin."  
"I'll go with you. I missed you too much to not go with you." Percy giggled with happiness after his latest proclamation.  
"Hey, Perce, you okay?"  
"Yeah, I'm great! I've never felt better, and I can't see why I shouldn't. I mean, I have everything I've ever wanted. A nice home, an amazing boyfriend, and...and...well that's all I really want; so, I'm glad to have it."  
"You know, I think I'll go to the mess hall on my own. I need a little air. Just go back to the cabin, I'll meet you there once I'm done."  
"Are you sure, hun?"  
"When did you-? Yeah, I'm sure. I'll meet up with you later."  
"Okiedoke, see you later! I'll miss you."  
"Miss you too..." I muttered as I walked toward the mess hall despite the fact that I'd lost my appetite a long time ago. I couldn't help but think, Why is Percy so...nice? He's not hungry either. He's never not hungry. I continued to ponder what was going on, but to no avail. Nothing was making sense, and I just knew something wasn't right.  
By the time I got to the mess hall, I was too confused to even think about what was going on even more. All I could think about was how bad of a headache I had gotten. Just like I wanted, a water bottle and Aspirin came my way. I just took it and continued to sip at my water.  
"Hey bud, why're you so down?" I looked up to see a new girl looking up at me.  
"Um, I'm sorry, but who are you?"  
"I'm Piper McLean. Nice to meet you. You are?..."  
"Nico...oh, um, Nico DiAngelo."  
"Nice to meet you. Your name, it sounds-"  
"Familiar? I used to come here a lot, but then...um, I'm sorry, but...I don't really know you."  
"Well, you're kind of cute, so I wouldn't mind changing that."  
"Thanks, but being a daughter of Aphrodite, I think you'd know that's not really of interest to me."  
"How did you know I'm a daughter of Aphrodite."  
"Well, it's obvious from the way you accessorize your outfit and the small touches in your makeup like the fact that you actually used 5 different shades of brown and 3 shades of orangey yellow to make a shadowy eye."  
"Um, wow. Well, even if I weren't a daughter of Aphrodite, I'd be able to tell now. Your knowledge of makeup is letting your sexuality show."  
I couldn't help but laugh. "Fair enough. So, what made you come over here?"  
"First, can I sit down?"  
"Oh, yeah, sorry. Go ahead."  
"Thanks," she said with a smile and a wink, "well, you just seemed lonely and confused. I'm known to be able to help with both. I'm good at giving advice...and a daughter of Aphrodite, but I know that last part won't do anything with you."  
"No it won't," again, I couldn't suppress a smile, "I'm not too sure that you could help me with my confusion either though."  
"Well, we'll never know unless you tell me."  
"I'm sure you've got someone you'd prefer to talk to."  
"Then you're surely wrong. Every one of my half-sisters is shallow and I don't really have anyone I talk to. I'm new here. Now, are you going to tell me or what?"  
My vision started to blur a little, and I couldn't help but tell her everything.  
"Oh dear gods! Your boyfriend is Percy Jackson?"  
"Yeah, I, uh...it's getting late, I should probably go back to..."  
"Not so fast, please. Just talk to me."  
Again, I couldn't help but talk to her, "Okay. What else do you want to know?"  
"Nothing, I just want to tell you something: not everything is as it seems here. Trust no one. Come tomorrow to the edge of the lake, with Percy, at 3, and we'll talk more. Until then, go to Percy. Tell no one of this."  
Unlike the last few times she talked to me, my vision was just fine, but I was still just as compelled to do what she said.  
"Okay, will do. It was nice meeting you. Bye."  
"Goodbye!" She said, her voice sounding surprisingly perky, "It was nice meeting you."

**Author's Note****: For any of those who care what the spell meant, just google translate it. Thank you all for the amazing support! I love writing this, and I hope you love reading it just as much. I'd lobe feedback, so if you have any, or just any comments/ questions, please comment.**


	14. Author's Note

**Hi everyone!**

** It's your author here. I'd just like to say that I love writing this story, but I don't see how I can continue due to a storyline problem. If you read the last chapter, you'd have seen Piper's offer of assistance. Thing is, I don't know how it is she'll help. I've had tons of ideas, but none seem to work out. Please, I am completely open to all suggestions and will try to incorporate as many as possible. On a final note, I've also been wondering where you'd like to see the story go after Percy is back to normal. So many possibilities, but I want to write what you want to read. Thanks guys.**

**Sincerely,**

**Your Author**


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